An Israeli won the best actress award at the 69th Venice Film Festival last Saturday night.

Twenty-two year old Hadas Yaron, who is the first Israeli actress to have won the award for her role in “Lemale Et Ha’Chalal” (“Fill the Void”), said: “This is a moment you can’t prepare for. It is beyond my wildest dreams,” according to Israel Hayom.

“I thank the team of judges who chose to give me this amazing award.”

The film, which was directed by Rama Burshtein, has been acclaimed worldwide and tells the story of an 18 year old Chasidic girl who faces a series of religious challenges after the death of her elder sister.

Lemale Et Ha’Chalal has been nominated for 13 Ophir awards, which are Israel’s version of an Oscar, and will be released in Israel next month.